2020-08-04 14:42:18

Hunger Strikers Demand Release as Virus Surges in ICE Jails

People being held in Immigration and Customs Enforcement ICE jails are holding work strikes and hunger strikes over the lack of access to personal protective equipment or quality medical care, and to demand their release.

Democracy Now! speaks with Joe Mejia, an asylum seeker who was among a group of prisoners at Yuba County Jail in California who led a hunger strike while he was held there for nearly 11 months. "That place is dangerous," Mejia says. "It is a death sentence to detainees, especially right now with the coronavirus."

Democracy Now! produces a daily, global, independent news hour hosted by award-winning journalists Amy Goodman and Juan González. 

Our reporting includes breaking daily news headlines and in-depth interviews with people on the front lines of the world’s most pressing issues. 

On DN!, you’ll hear a diversity of voices speaking for themselves, providing a unique and sometimes provocative perspective on global events.

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Amy Goodman california Coronavirus Covid COVID-19 Democracy Now! Free Speech TV Hunger Strike ICE ICE jail Immigration Joe Mejia Pandemic

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